How will Jubilee Party ensure common youth are taken in?

In this series in the Sunday Nation we invite readers to send questions to select public figures. Answers will be published in the next print and online editions of the newspaper. This week Meru Senator Kiraitu Murungi responds to your questions:

You happened on the national scene in 1992 when you became a Member of Parliament then as a member of Ford Kenya where you were among the Young Turks. All your colleagues in the fight for the second liberation like George Anyona, Mukaru Ng’ang’a, Martin Shikuku, Kijana Wamalwa, Koigi Wamwere, Raila Odinga, James Orengo, Martha Karua, Charity Ngilu, Wangari Maathai, Paul Muite have all gone ahead and contested for the presidency while you have been content serving as a legislator under the multi-party democracy system which you fought hard for. Soon, the Deputy President William Ruto who was about 25 years old in 1992 when you became an MP will be vying for the presidency. Why do you fear venturing in that direction?

Ngure Kamau, Ol Kalou

Of all those people you have mentioned, none has become president. I don’t contest elections merely for the sake of contesting. I do my political arithmetic and contest to win. For now I can serve Kenyans in any other capacity but the presidency. I am happy to support President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto.

Do you intend to vie for the presidency after the current President given that you have been in politics since 1992 with different political parties?

Abdiaziz Dahir

No. I don’t intend to vie for the presidency at any time. I am vying for governor of Meru. My dream is to make Meru great, rich and prosperous.

I appreciate some of the progress record by the Jubilee government — including the Standard Gauge Railway project, implementation of rural electrification and security enhancement among others.

However, several national government road projects especially in Meru County have not been given attention. For instance, the Meru Level 5 hospital-Kaithe main road, Kangeta-Laare road, Maua-Athiru Gaiti-Kilili road, Meru town-Chaaria (Mati road). Were these empty promises to the vote-rich region?

Muguna Muriiki, Meru

President Uhuru Kenyatta has done a lot to fulfil his promises to the people of Meru County. Major roads like Mati, Kisima-Ntirimiti-Kibirichia and Kiirua are currently being tarmacked and various other road like Maua-Athiru-Gaiti road have been awarded to contractors. A total of 180km of roads have been earmarked for tarmacking by the Jubilee government in all constituencies of Meru. The Meru Level 5 hospital has also been allocated a lot of money and an intensive care unit is being built by the National government. These are not empty promises.

Hallo Senator Murungi, you have played an important role in various tasks which have boosted your stature as a national leader. Back to the roots in the larger Meru District, the Imentis have for many years marooned the other sub-tribes in political and socio-economic aspects at local and national levels. Why are you interested in dominating and shaping the political direction of the region?

Kennedy Kinyua, Tharaka-Nithi County

I developed South Imenti as the elected MP. It was not my duty to develop other constituencies then. As a minister for Energy, I extended electricity to every corner of Meru and indeed the entire republic. I have no interest in domineering anybody. I only want to serve the people of Meru County the way I served South Imenti constituency. It is the fundamental duty of Tharaka-Nithi leaders to develop their own county.

What is your take on the Jubilee Party politics? Though you midwifed the Jubilee merger last month, where do you see the monolithic party headed?

John Maina

I support the Jubilee Party because it stands for unity, peace, progress and prosperity of all Kenyans and rejects tribalism as a political ideology. It will be a dominant but not a monolithic party because other parties like ODM, Safina, Narc Kenya among many others are not merged into Jubilee.

You seem to be a reliable pair of hands in sorting out some complicated matters touching on law and governance. To give an example, you played a central role in the formation of the Jubilee Party and in coming up with a law sending the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission home. What keeps you going?

Githuku Mungai

Thanks Githuku. I keep going by the grace of God, respect for others and strong love for this country. We should all try our best to make our future better. We should always think of others and not destroy each other as we move forward.

What is your opinion on the transition clauses in Political Parties Act that requires the parties that fold to hand over their assets and liabilities to the newly formed Jubilee Party?

Ouma Fredrick, Homa Bay Town

That’s a normal legal requirement in processes of mergers and acquisitions. Without Jubilee taking over the liabilities, creditors of the merged parties would be left too exposed. Jubilee will, for example, pay the debts of the merged parties.

We have been an independent democracy since 1963. Why then is our national flag lowered every evening?

Isack Boi, Marsabit

Kenyans are independent all the time, even at night when they are asleep. In fact, there is more freedom at night, when all the bosses are asleep!

Recently, the International Criminal Court judges ruled that Kenya was indeed non co-operative during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s case in The Hague (whose charges were dropped in December 2014) and referred the country to the Assembly of States Parties. As a lawyer and a lawmaker, how will this impact on Kenya as a whole and by extension the politics of Jubilee where you are a key figure? Do you still support efforts to pull the country out of ICC as earlier initiated by the National Assembly?

Komen Moris, Eldoret

The ICC is an international court, to which Kenya is a party. It is our sovereign right to remain or pull out of it. As of now, I see no compelling reason for Kenya to pull out.

In 2013, I vied for the Lari parliamentary seat through the TNA primaries. However, the nomination turned to be a mockery of democracy and I was openly rigged to second position. I was promised that “the cake is quite big and enough for all of us. We will share” and embarked on consolidating my strength to support Jubilee. What happened to the cake? How will you guarantee that there will be no repeat of 2013 in 2017, which may lead to voter apathy?

Isaac Gachuri, Lari Constituency Kiambu County

As you know, TNA was formed barely three months to the 2013 elections. There was no time for proper structures to be established for credible, free and fair nominations. Jubilee nominations will be conducted by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to guarantee that 2013 does not recur in 2017.

Now that you are vying for the Meru County Governor’s seat, how will you ensure there is equal representation of all sub-tribes in Meru, given that owing to your immense influence in the Jubilee government, we have seen only people from Imenti being appointed to the national positions?

Charles Kabui, Tigania

As a governor of Meru, I will ensure equitable distribution of political power, appointments and resources in all the sub-counties. It is not true to say that other Meru sub-tribes are not represented in the national government. I know of some powerful CEOs, chairmen, ambassadors and permanent secretaries who are not from Imenti. Please do your homework better. I will be the Governor of Meru, not of any sub-tribe.

As a key Jubilee leader, what are the strategies that the party is laying down so as to accommodate the common youth who are not from a privileged background?

Muthee Fredrick Murimi, JKUAT

The Deputy President William Ruto, Devolution Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri and Buuri MP Kinoti Gatobu are examples of good role models for the youth. They have struggled to get where they are.

The youth have to struggle. President Kenyatta has appointed many “common youths” in his government including the CS for ICT Joe Mucheru. The Jubilee party has established the youth league as the vehicle for socialising and recruiting the youth into political leadership. The youth should reject the culture of political apathy and hopelessness and participate in the Jubilee Party youth programmes and also in the modernisation and radical socio-economic transformation of Kenya.

You and former Ntonyiri MP Maoka Maore sometimes back said that miraa will be a campaign issue in 2017 in Meru County. Going by that, what does it mean for your rival, the incumbent Governor Peter Munya?

Ouma Fredrick, Homa Bay Town

I leave that to the judgment of miraa farmers and traders. My interest is to see that miraa truly benefits the farmers and traders.